Page 70 of Yours Truly, the Duke
For a long second, she felt he was ravenous and only the taste of her could satisfy him. The ardor coming from him startled her until she realized she was returning his passion with the same intensity. Matching every gasp he inhaled, every moan he uttered, and every breath he took. What was happening between them was powerful, exhilarating, and impatient.
Exquisite shivers tightened her lower abdomen with spiral after spiral of delectable sensations. Dropping the hold on her shawl, she wound both her arms around his neck, pulling him closer, urging him to kiss her harder and deeper, wanting to feel her breasts press against his hard chest.
She skimmed her hands along the width of his shoulders and down the breadth of his back as she feasted on the stirrings of passion building inside her. As her hands searched, she felt him tremble, causing her arms to curl, locking herself securely into his embrace.
Fredericka kissed his cheek, loving the tang of his skin before returning and melting her lips to the contours of his once more. Their tongues met, swirled, and played, triggering dizzy pleasures that astounded her.
Too caught up in the moment and wanting to explore more, she kissed over his jaw to taste the skin of his neck as far as his collar would allow. Her behavior was shocking. Total madness, and so spellbinding she didn’t want to stop.
Yet, slowly, the movement of Wyatt’s lips upon hers became more relaxed, less feverish. They were cool, moist, and enticing.
Winded, Wyatt lifted his head and looked into hereyes. Something wet plopped onto her nose, her cheek and eyes. She blinked.
“It’s raining,” he whispered.
Fredericka had been so engrossed with kissing the duke she hadn’t realized the storm had arrived and they were getting drenched.
CHAPTER 19
HONEY-SUCKLE—SWEETNESS OF DISPOSITION
—LUCY HOOPER
Thy gentle smile hath won me,
Oh, more than beauty’s glow
Is the soft radiance of the heart,
Like Heaven upon thy brow.
Whenever the duke’s weekly card club met at his house, the furniture in the drawing room was stacked against the walls, clearing the center for three white-linen-draped tables with four chairs at each one. Shouts of laughter, chatter, along with thethunkof hands hitting the tables and the occasional clink of glasses had the room buzzing all afternoon. A low-burning fire and generous amounts of brandy kept the twelve gentlemen jovial competitors and pleasantly comfortable in the manner they were used to.
During the course of the afternoon and between hands of cards, Wyatt had made a few discreet inquiries about who might personally know the Lord Chancellor. Wyatt wanted to continue to maneuver the process of guardianship of the children into Fredericka’s favor in any way he could. He didn’t know he could trust the man so it wouldn’t hurt to have reserve help. None of the members of Wyatt’s group were any more versed in that area than he was. Most of them were younger thanWyatt and of the same party. Not a one had ever had reason to involve themselves in such matters handled in Chancery Court.
From above, where the children were ensconced, there had been a few squeals, a scream or two, and what was a quite lengthy and obviously childish row between Charles and Elise. The little rascals seemed to be having a grand time. When Fredericka was away, the children liked to play. And argue. Thankfully, the drawing room was far enough away from the classroom that no one could hear the running and stomping of little feet overhead. That might have sent some of the youngest bucks in the card club hightailing it to the door.
The blades at the table with him had raised eyebrows more than once and squirmed in their chairs at the loss of concentration, but none had been plucky enough to utter a question or comment about the new sounds in his house. Occasionally, Wyatt looked over at Hurst’s and Rick’s tables. There was restlessness with some of their players too, but with the usual raucous behavior of the men no one else noticed.
It was late in the afternoon when he heard the first youthful snicker come from outside the room. That caused Wyatt to give more attention to the doorway than the cards in his hands. Miss Litchfield was supposed to keep the children busy in their new schoolroom. Something must have gone wrong. Wyatt had seen Bella and Charles peek around the corner into the drawing room several times and Elise had braved a tentative glance or two.
Hurst and Rick had noticed the children’s peeks too.
Wyatt considered going out to check on the three little bumpkins, but they weren’t causing a disturbance to anyone’s game, except possibly his own. He didn’t mind their quick wide-eyed glances of curiosity and intermittent titters, though he knew Fredericka wouldn’t approve of the children snooping on a gentlemen’s card club. What she didn’t know wouldn’t bother her.
The members were behaving rather decently, considering they didn’t know they were being watched by a five-, seven-, and nine-year-old. There had been a fair amount of the usual swears, joking, and the customary amount of masculine blustering, baiting, and betting, which sometimes led to loud, friendly outbursts. Whorls of expensive tobacco smoke lingered heavy in the air and swirled about their heads, but nothing happened that Wyatt would deem too offensive for the children’s eyes or ears. After all, he’d barely been old enough to hold up his head the first time his father took him to a card table. And he’d hadn’t been traumatized by anything he’d seen or heard in all the years that followed.
The children would be fine, though his prim and proper duchess might see things a little differently. That had worried him from time to time throughout the afternoon. However, not enough for him to stop the games, quiet the group, or send the little ones back to the schoolroom.
The men usually played until twilight or later, but after a trio of hours had passed, Wyatt decided to call the end of the game rather than call for the change of partners. A couple of the men grumbled about the time being cut short and not having opportunity to address their losses. Others seemed to understand what he was doing, as did Hurst and Rick, who helped him hurry the men out the door before they left without prolonged good-byes.
When Wyatt had shut the door behind the last man, he stood in the entryway and said, “All right, you can come out of hiding. The coast is clear. All three of you.”
Bella was the first to show her little face with its big inquisitive eyes staring at him. “Were we quiet enough?” she asked, and then put her finger to her lips and whispered, “Shh.”
He nodded. “Did you have a good time snooping on my card game?” he asked to no one in particular.
Bella giggled. “We sure did.”
